Here's my OCZ Vertex 3 issue!

Ok so for the first few days I had the OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD, I seemed to have no problems. Now I have a weird one. When I switch on my computer, it will tell me that there is no available boot device. I check the BIOS and the SSD isn't there. I reset the computer and there it is - it appears and the computer boots into Windows. This happens EVERY time I switch on my computer.

I have now tried the new 1902 BIOS and the issue persists. I've played around with BIOS settings to try and trace the problem. When I set "IDE" mode for my SATA ports, the problem is entirely gone. I set "AHCI" mode again and there it is - problem's back!
I reset all my BIOS settings and set "AHCI" mode only (no overclocking or anything at all) and it seems the problem is also gone. However, as soon as I touch ANY setting in the "Extreme Tweaker" section of my BIOS, the problem comes back. It's really weird because even if I leave everything on "Auto" but set, say, the CPU Ratio to "16.0" (the stock, so no overclocking here), the problem comes back. ANY setting in the "Extreme Tweaker" section causes the problem to come back.

This cannot be my computer - there's something weird going on with the SSD. I've read many posts on here regarding the Vertex 3 AHCI problems so I'm convinced it needs a firmware update to resolve. As it stands, I can either use my SSD in "IDE" mode or if I want "AHCI" mode (which I do, for TRIM), I need to deal with the fact that when I switch on the computer, I will have to reset it after the booting error comes up. I honestly do miss my previous SSD, the Vertex 2E. That one NEVER gave me problems. I hope firmware updates for the Vertex 3 fix the obvious AHCI problems this SSD seems to have for many of us.

Anyway, performance wise I'm very pleased with this SSD. Reliability wise, I'm not pleased at all.

Ok so after much reading around, I noticed a lot of people complaining of general SSD AHCI-related problems and how a Secure Erase seems to fix a lot of these things. I downloaded the latest version of the OCZ Toolbox and performed a Secure Erase. For this, my SSD was connected as a second drive as I was running Windows 7 on my storage HDD at the time.

Once I did this, I set AHCI mode in the BIOS and Windows 7 installed without a hitch. Moreover, the problem mentioned in my original post seems to be gone!
Hopefully that's it for it.

I'd like to update this thread with my latest experience. After I had fixed my SSD with a Secure Erase, the problem returned two weeks later. I performed another Secure Erase and I was back up and running. However, about two weeks after that (this brings me to about last week), the problem came back out of nowhere!!

I was seriously pissed off. I noticed OCZ announced a new firmware update for the OCZ Vertex 3, though, version 2.06. I disconnected my SSD, installed Windows on my storage HDD, connected my SSD and booted into the storage HDD. Once there, I update the firmware and then formatted Windows off from my storage HDD and went back to using the SSD. The problem was immediately gone, entirely. I'm hoping this 2.06 update has permanently done away with that cold boot problem, as people seem to call it.

Having said that, I've experienced a new issue twice since the firmware update so I'm pretty certain it's a new bug. It's rare but it has happened. Basically I'm using my computer normally and all of a sudden nothing responds. The mouse cursor moves around but literally NOTHING responds to clicking, closing, opening, etc. Eventually the Windows background goes white and I get the loading mouse cursor. I reset my computer and my SSD is not detected, with the no boot device available error. I turn off my computer, turn it back on and I'm back up and running as normal. Weird!
Maybe the next firmware update gets things right?

Thanks for your reply man. I am indeed registered on the OCZ forums under Gib007 as well. I've been complaining since the first day I got the SSD, LOL. I've just read that an OCZ employee is saying that this problem is not to do with the firmware and must instead be an issue with the individuals' SSDs. He suggests Secure Erasing and perhaps reflashing (don't know how to do this) and otherwise, RMA.

This problem is rare for me but it comes up at random. If I find the strength to bother, I might Secure Erase, force a reflash (if and when I find out how) and then Secure Erase again (for good measure).

To be perfectly honest, I'm still sceptical as to this being my SSD's fault and not the firmware update's...!